The Security Council has strongly condemned the downing of a UN helicopter near Bentiu in South Sudan's Unity State on Tuesday. The helicopter was on a routine cargo flight for the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) with four Russian crew members when it went down. Three of the crew members were killed and one [...]

Members of the global civil society are being presented an opportunity to help shape the post-2015 Development Agenda. That's what the head of the UN Department of Public Information said ahead of the 65th DPI and NGO Conference which opened on Wednesday. The three day conference will allow the UN to engage directly with its [...]

Representatives of civil society have been urged to help in pushing world leaders along the right path in tackling global problems. The appeal came from the UN Secretary-General in a video message to welcome participants in this year's Annual UN Conference for Non-Governmental Organizations or NGOs. Representatives of more than 4,000 NGOs have gathered in [...]

The UN Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has pledged its support for the auditing of the votes from the June 14 presidential run-off election in the country. This follows the decision of Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, one of the presidential candidates, to withdraw from the process. The audit is aimed at resolving a dispute which was sparked [...]

Mass atrocities by Government forces and non-State armed groups continue in Syria, causing immeasurable suffering to civilians, according to a UN report released on Wednesday. The report marks the third anniversary of the establishment of a UN Commission of Inquiry for Syria. War crimes and violations of international human rights law are increasing in terms [...]

A resolution calling for all parties in Libya to agree on an immediate ceasefire and an end to the fighting" has been adopted unanimously by the Security Council. The North African country has been struggling to transition to a democracy since Muammar Gaddafi was toppled in an armed uprising three years ago. A UN arms [...]

The conflict in Libya has continued, forcing thousands of people to flee their homes, according to the top UN envoy in the country. Mr. Tarek Mitri, the head of the UN Mission in Libya on Wednesday briefed the Security Council on the situation in the country. He said armed confrontations, which are both the cause [...]

A convoy of 18 trucks carrying food to Gaza crossed the Rafah crossing from Egypt for the first time in seven years on Wednesday, says the World Food Programme (WFP). The UN food agency says the food is enough to feed approximately 150,000 people for five days. The trucks travelled for seven hours from Alexandria [...]

For the first time since 2007 the UN food agency was on Wednesday able to send food into Gaza using the Rafah crossing from Egypt. Gaza has been under an Israeli blockade for seven years, which has prevented food and other supplies from reaching the territory. The World Food Programme (WFP) says its humanitarian convoy [...]

Taking action to reduce climate change and its consequences can improve people's health and save lives, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO has, for the first time, convened a global conference on climate and health in Geneva which has brought together government ministers, experts, scientists and members of civil society. The agency says [...]

Failure by the international community to end the Syrian crisis has fueled the rise of the extremist group Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, whose brutality is threatening to engulf the Middle East region. This is according to the latest report by the International Commission of Inquiry on Syria. The Commission says members of [...]

A diversified economy is the key to future of small island developing states, according to Ambassador of Mauritius to the UN. At the time of independence in 1968, the economy of Mauritius was almost wholly dependent on sugar. But that's changed and now Mauritius has a wide range of economic activities. Island nation off the [...]